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About a month of the season, Oysters manager Wild Bluff Barnes Wright acknowledged that Foveaux Strait fishing was in a “bass cycle,” but said it was the nature of the business.
While their oyster boat teams had noticed an increase in the number of oysters with exitigious bonamia – an endemic parasite that could kill them – there were also positive signs with good youth oyster growth, he said.
“It was definitely a challenging season and … we knew this was coming, obviously because of the science we do. We worked closely with the Ministry of Fisheries and Niwa-We were all our preseason work, but we are still awaiting the results of preseason sampling to be confirmed.
“It looks like we’re seeing a little more bonamia [exitiosa] In the narrow again – but again it is only part of the fishing cycle, the way it seems to operate. “
Last month, Ngāi Tahu announced that he was not fishing at the delicacy this year, claiming that his decision not to fish this season was based on the industry’s long -term sustainability.
Wright said that although he respected the decision, he believed that his company and others in the industry have sustainable priority and they all trusted science to ensure that they maintain healthy fishing.
They took only 3% to 4% of the population every season, he said.
Although there was challenges and concerns, he believed the quality had improved this year.
“We are probably in better conditions than in the last two years, but not yet what we call cousin condition or whatever, but especially overall, it is definitely better.
“Surely fishing has often seen these crises in the past – and will see it in the future. Sustainability has been the main mind of all and we will continue to manage and monitor and only cling to there.”
Nine boats are operating and oysters in the Foveaux Strait this season and six of them are managed by Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters.
Wright said that although last week it was not favorable to them due to the difficult weather, the first weeks allowed them to reach about 25% of their quota, which was a little behind the previous season.
Bluff Oysterman Willie Calder agreed that the season had been a mixed bag.
Although the quality was better, the numbers were not as good as in the past.
“We are having to travel much further than we normally do.
“Usually, we are just an hour from Bluff, now we are [travelling] Two – But things are going well at the moment. “
The Oyster Season ends on August 31.
luisa.girao@odt.co.nz
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